Tuesday, 5 November 2013

Bosworth Battlefield and Bonfire Day

Remember, remember the 5th of November

Gunpowder Treason and Plot

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot

Today is Bonfire Day here in the UK! There have been
fireworks going off pretty much every night since Saturday, which has been lots
of fun (kind of annoying sometimes, but fun). Tonight, as per my custom, a
bunch of us are watching V for Vendetta and I will, of course, be giving a
brief historical overview of Guy Fawkes/the Gunpowder Plot beforehand. I have
no idea why I have friends. They are saints.

Last Saturday we (finally) didn’t have a flat trip, but I
was busy adventuring anyway! Bosworth Battlefield was my destination. On August
22nd 1485, Henry Tudor defeated Richard III to become Henry VII and
form the new Tudor dynasty. So obviously the battlefield is on my list and I
had to go. John came with me on my adventure and it was lots of fun but super
exhausting.

First off, we woke up at 5:45am to get to the bus station
and catch our 7:00am bus to Leicester. After an hour-long bus ride (John fell
asleep), we got to Leicester and then sat at the bus station and waited for bus
#153 to Market Bosworth. After another hour-long bus ride, we got off in the
small village of Market Bosworth, which is a 3-mile walk from the battlefield.
The area we were in was so pretty—classic English countryside, rolling hills,
sheep, green pastures, everything. It was a nice bus ride! (John fell asleep
again.)

It was kind of confusing getting from the village onto the
road that would get us to the battlefield—we got lost and had to ask for
directions. We were trying to follow some signs that had swords on them (we
hoped it meant battlefield) but they were meant for cars, not for people
walking… the very nice man we asked directions from told us where to go and
wished us good luck, and said “hope the weather stays fine for you!” Because
obviously “fine” weather means cloudy, gray, misting rain, and freezing. It was
way colder than either of us thought it would be (or we thought it would warm
up, which it never did), and John had brought one hat that we shared between us.
Our walk to the battlefield, once we got on the right road, was scenic and
great and so much more rewarding than taking a car could ever be! Good ol’
Shenton Lane went almost all the way there.

We did finally make it to the battlefield! The reason we got
up so early was because I wanted to do the guided tour at 11:00, and I’m so
glad we did it. The entire journey was worth it just for the tour, I got so
much more information than I would have had I gone without a tour! Our tour
guide explained a lot about the battle itself: who was fighting, where they
were coming from, and how they all met at this spot of the battlefield. A
couple years ago they found some cannon balls and a boar badge (the white boar
was Richard III’s symbol, and this badge was worn only by his personal guard)
in an area that they’ve now basically determined was the final phase of the
battle. It was really cool to learn about the different commanders of the
battle, besides just the main opponents. During the tour, our tour guide had banners
with the coat of arms for each of the major players. Me and some 8-year old
kids got to carry them on the tour :)

The Tudor banner!

It started raining right at the end of our tour, so we went
into the battlefield exhibition. The exhibition was nice and informative, but
the tour was so much better. It started pouring like no other and so we waited
it out for a bit in the restaurant there. Finally it let up and there was a
beautiful rainbow—it was literally the best reward ever for our adventure.

After that, it was nice and sunny for our 3-mile walk back
(no need to share our one hat), and we celebrated our reward with a pint at the
pub in Market Bosworth. Market Bosworth is just such a quaint, stereotypical
English village, and I loved it. We also got some half-price ice cream bars
which was awesome. After that, it was another hour-long bus ride to Leicester
(John fell asleep), half an hour wait in the bus station, and then another bus
ride back to Notts (John fell asleep again). We were literally starving by the
time we got home (walked 7+ miles!), and we got off the bus and legit ran to
the flat and stormed the kitchen.

It was another successful adventure and I just loved it!
Going on day trips like that, adventuring in the country is so nerve-wracking
and can be a little intimidating, especially this time when we had different
buses we needed to catch. But it is so rewarding! When I got to the battlefield
I just felt so accomplished, and by the time I got back to the flat I felt even
more accomplished. It was fantastic. Going on random journeys like this just
makes me love England. It is an amazing place.

Shout out to the British transportation system—my trip to
Bosworth could never have happened in the U.S. There just isn’t this kind of
infrastructure at home to make it all possible. Buses and trains make getting
around so easy! It’s amazing.

This week is going to be another super busy one. We have a
“reading week” this week at uni, so I don’t have either of my classes. I have a
paper due next week though, and a project I need to start working on. This
weekend our group is headed to London—we’ll be seeing plays on both Friday and
Saturday night, but basically the rest of our time should be free time and we
can do what we want. But first I need to have a productive next couple of days
beforehand!